THE GOOD OLD DAYS

by Donalyn Dea Henning
Written 1971, Age 9

This is dedicated to Augusta Hollman my Great Grandmother
Whom I love very much

BABYHOOD:

Augusta Flachman was born April 18, 1891. She was born in her home in Kramer, Nebraska.

EARLY CHILDHOOD:

Augusta's early childhood was spent in Kramer, Nebraska. When she grew up she wanted to be a telephone operator and go to school.

FAMILY:

Dick Flachman, Augusta's father, worked as a railroad man. Anna Flachman, Augusta's mother worked at home taking care of nine children. She had four brothers and five sisters. Augusta's joys were going on a vacation to the State Fair. To get there, they had to drive horses and buggies,

SCHOOL DAYS:

Augusta went to Elementary school. Her favorite subjects were spelling and reciting poetry. She really didn't have any least favorite subjects. Her favorite sports were not like the favorite sports people have today, they were pull-away and shinny. Shinny is something like hockey. Augusta and her brothers and sisters had to walk to school when the snow was two, three and four feet deep at times. Augusta quit school when she just got out of the seventh grade.

GROWING UP:

Some of August's happy memories were when she was a telephone operator, that's what she wanted to be. One of her traumatic experiences was when she was the telephone operator and two men came into town, robbed the bank, and cut the cables. Then they took the hand car and got away into Lincoln. Another one of her traumatic experiences was when she was going to Crete on the train to the dentist to have a tooth pulled, and the train wrecked. Nobody got killed but most got injured. Augusta broke a bone above one of her eyes. She got one hundred dollars from it. Her family went to the Methodist church, which was German at that time.


MARRIAGE:

Augusta Flachman married Elmer Hollman. She married him November 24 on
Thanksgiving Day. They had a church wedding.

CHILDREN:

Their first child was Ethel Barry who lives in Lincoln now. Their second child was Blanche Schlichtemeier who lives on a farm between Crete and Lincoln. Their third child was my Grandmother Lillian Reiss who lives in Crete. Their fourth child was Marjorie Freye who lives in Martell. Their fifth child was Lester Hollman who lives in Martell. Their sixth child was Buck Hollman who lives in York, Nebraska. Their seventh child was Gerald Hollman who lives in Boulder, Colorado. Their eight, Henry Hollman who lives five miles East of Crete. He is a farmer. The ninth child is Jr. Hollman who lives at Martell .

ADULTHOOD:

When Elmer Hollman, Augusta's husband died she went to work at the Lincoln General Hospital. Augusta worked there for eleven years. Then she bought a house in Sprague and lived there for ten years. Then she moved to Centennial Terrace.

OTHER EXPERIENCES:

In 1932 was the start of the seven dry years. Augusta and her family raised no crops for seven dry years. They had no rain for seven years just dust storms. They had to cover all their furniture with sheets because the dust was so bad. The wells went dry and they had to make new wells and to lots deeper to get water. Most of the trees died out. But they still had lots and lots of wind storms. Then came the grasshoppers. One day they flew in and they just darkened the sky. They ate the leaves off the trees that were left. At night they slept on the fence posts. It was hard making a living. The banks were closing because there was no money in it or to put in. The store gave no credit. Augusta had nine children to feed. They went many nights to bed hungry. Mr. Hollman got some road work which helped some. But he had to get food for the horses. So he went one hundred and fifty miles to Nebraska City to get feed for his horses. When rain came the weather got better.

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